The Key to Next Door
1Every Saturday, Dev helped his grandmother at her locksmith shop on Front Street. The shop was long and narrow, and hundreds of brass keys hung on hooks along one wall. Grandma Ines wore round glasses on a chain and a gray apron with deep pockets. A little bell hung above the door.
2One rainy morning, the bell over the door jingled. A tall man in a dripping yellow raincoat stood in the doorway. It was Mr. Patel, who owned the flower shop next door. "I locked my keys inside my shop," he said with a groan. "And my flowers need water before the store opens!"
3Grandma Ines grabbed a small leather case from under the counter. Dev held a big black umbrella over both of them as they hurried next door. Rain drummed on the umbrella, and puddles splashed under their shoes. Through the glass, Dev could see buckets of sunflowers and Mr. Patel's ring of keys lying on the counter.
4Grandma knelt by the door and opened her case. She slid two thin metal tools into the lock and turned them slowly. "Listen," she whispered. Dev leaned close. Click. Click. Click. The door swung open, and the sweet smell of wet roses drifted out.
5"You saved my morning!" Mr. Patel said, and he handed Dev a sunflower. Back at the shop, Dev put it in a glass jar beside the cash register. Dev grinned so wide that his cheeks hurt. "Someday I want to open locks too," he said. Grandma Ines smiled and handed him a flat, uncut key. "Then we will start with making keys."